As the popularity of the Internet and other computer use increases, situations often arise where a customer or computer user needs assistance completing any of a number of complex tasks on their computer. For example, Web pages or application user interfaces can sometimes be difficult for users to navigate. In some cases, the page or interface may appear to be malfunctioning. In these and other situations, it is often useful for a technical support person or other remote assistant, for example, to assist the customer. A problem arises, however, because the remote assistant cannot see what the customer is seeing or what the customer is doing, particularly in the case of Web sites or applications with remote access. Because of this, the remote assistant often spends a long time talking the customer through how to use a Web site, for example, when the user is experiencing problems, and the remote assistant must troubleshoot problems based upon asking the right questions. It would be difficult or impossible, as well as expensive, for the remote assistant to be physically present at a remote site to manually assist a customer or user with use of the Web site. Accordingly, software has been developed to permit technical support or other personnel to help assist or manage various computer operations, including the use of Web sites and application pages, from a remote location.
One such class of software is known as desktop virtualization software. Desktop virtualization allows separation of the physical location of a personal computer desktop from the physical location of the user who is using that desktop. Desktop virtualization software permits input and output (I/O) from a keyboard, mouse and video display, among other possible elements or components, to be redirected across a network via certain types of desktop virtualization protocols such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) or Virtual Network Computing (VNC). A computer suitably equipped with such software may be controlled and accessed by a user at a remote location as if the computer is local to that user. It is possible, therefore, for technical support or other personnel to assist customers or users from a remote location with such software.
Use of such software is not, however, without significant drawbacks. For example, a customer or Web site user must typically download and install software in order for the remote assistant to monitor or view the user's browser or other interface. This may be inconvenient for the user for a number of reasons. First, the time it takes to download and install the software may be much more time than it will take the remote assistant to solve the user's problem. Second, the software itself may by heavy in terms of space. That is, the software may consume significant space on the computer that might otherwise be used for user files and the like. Oftentimes, such software enables the remote assistant to completely take over the remote machine but at the same time prevents the customer or user from continuing to use the computer. This lack of interactive monitoring can make it difficult for the remote assistant to accurately diagnose the problem the user is experiencing. Also, not only can such software be heavy in terms of space, it typically is heavy in terms of bandwidth. That is, virtualizing the entire desktop by, for example, routing the video and other I/O to the remote location typically consumes significant network bandwidth. All of these limitations are magnified in the situation where a user needs help with something relatively simple like navigating or using a Web site. Thus, heavyweight virtualization of an entire desktop to permit remote viewing of or assistance with, for example, a Web browser or other standalone application is very wasteful of resources and time.